About the Library

Welcome to the Social Work Library at the University of Michigan! This guide presents basic information about the University Library's branch library, housed in the School of Social Work Building. The computing facility is a cooperative effort between U-M's University Library, the School of Social Work, and the Information Technology Central Services. 

Mission |  Location | Contact Information | Collection | Services |Other Information | Virtual Tour

Misson of the Social Work Library

As a unit of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library (HHGL), the Social Work Library espouses the mission of the HHGL and of the University Library, which is:

"To support, enhance, and collaborate in the instructional, research and service activities of faculty, students and staff and to contribute to the common good by collecting, organizing, preserving, communicating, and sharing the record of human knowledge."

The Social Work Library (SWL) supports in particular the professional education information needs of the School of Social Work, including its values and ethics, through the library's services, instructional efforts, collections, and collaborative computing resources.

Location

  Contact Information

•  734/764-5169
• E-mail: social.work.library@umich.edu
• Web: http://lib.umich.edu/socwork

Social Work Library Collection

The Social Work Library collects information on subjects related to the curriculum of the School of Social Work (SSW). These subjects include: social work practice and administration, social work education, social casework, social welfare services and policy, child welfare, and gerontology. In addition to providing over 45,000 books on these topics, the library subscribes to approximately 160 journals and newsletters. A collection of books authored by SSW faculty and an archival collection of SSW dissertations are maintained here. The book collection is arranged by Library of Congress call number (e.g. RC 569 .P341 1998), and the Periodicals Collection is arranged alphabetically by journal title. The items in the Reference Collection, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, guides to subjects, manuals, statistical compilations, etc., do not circulate; however, there are many sources represented in that collection which are also available online. The library also has access to various electronic resources, such as catalogs and databases, covering all disciplines.

A network of 20 individual library locations supplement the collections in the Social Work Library, in particular the Hatcher Graduate Library, the Public Health Library & Informatics, and the Taubman Medical Library. 

The library gratefully accepts gifts of books, journals, and scholarly reports. Donations of research materials significantly enhance and enrich the collection. Sometimes, it may be necessary to decline donations which are outside of the library's scope or which duplicate existing holdings. However, the library can still benefit from these gifts by placing the materials in the University Library book sale events. Please be aware that library staff cannot appraise materials or provide a cash value to gifts. All gifts accepted for the Social Work Library become the property of the U-M University Library, and library staff reserve the right to determine the retention policy, the cataloging, and the location of donated materials. Book plates will be inserted in the front of hard bound gift books, at the donor's request. Those interested in donating materials to the Social Work Library should contact Sue Wortman at 734/764-5198 or social.work.library@umich.edu.

Services at the Social Work Library

Circulation Services

With a valid university ID (Mcard), University of Michigan students, staff and faculty may check out materials from the collections. Reference books, current journals and items in special collections may not be checked out of the library. Faculty, staff, graduate students and academic guests may check out books from the general collection for one academic term; undergraduates and non-acedemic guests may borrow items for 3 weeks. The borrowing periods for some items may be extended or renewed. All library materials must be checked out 10 minutes before the posted closing time.

 

Computing

The library space houses the Comprehensive Information Resource Center (CIRC), which serves as a computing lab for the SSW. There are 46 full-featured workstations and a 30-seat classroom, equipped with computers and projection system. These computers provide access to statistical software, word processing, spreadsheets, and other information resources. Connected to 6 of these computers are digital scanners. There are 6 express, e-mail only cyberstations. There is no printing capability at the cyberstations. A U-M uniqname is required to use CIRC workstations. There are 3 other computers that provide access to library-related resources, such as Mirlyn; researchers not affiliated with the university may use these computers for library research. Individual logged in with uniqname/password are charged for printing information from all computers in the site. Guest printing is not available. In addition, an ergo-assistive workstation (Ergopod) is available on site for individuals in need of software designed for blind and visually impaired computer users. Wireless networking is available in the Social Work Library. For information on wireless network access on campus, point your browser to: http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/wireless/.

 

Course Reserves

Starting in the Fall of 2009 reserve materials for social work courses will be available for check out at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library circulation desk. To check out reserve books, photocopies of articles, coursepacks, etc., you must present your Mcard. Course reserves circulate for 4 hours only. Late fines for reserve items are $1 per hour, including any hours that the library is not open. Look up the reserve material in either the Mirlyn catalog or Mirlyn Classic and be prepared to give the Library of Congress call number for each item on reserve.  SSW instructors may request materials for the reserve collection by emailing university.reserves@umich.edu. See the faculty course reserves page for more information.

 

Group Study Rooms

There are 2 group study rooms, B772 and B792, available for use by those affiliated with the School of Social Work. These rooms are available for group use during regular library hours, for 2-hour periods, on a reservation basis. Both rooms are equipped with a dry-erase board, table, and six chairs. B792 also has a computer for SSW students to practice PowerPoint presentations. Please check in at the Service Desk or send an e-mail message to social.work.library@umich.edu to place a room reservation.

 

Library-to-Library Delivery/Interlibrary Loan/7FAST

Social Work students, staff and faculty may borrow books not owned by the Social Work Library but available in other libraries on campus through a service called Library-to-Library Delivery. Requested books are typically delivered in 2-3 days. Journal articles may not be requested through this service. To request a book from another library search for the item in Mirlyn, click on the title of the item the under the holdings tab, showing the location of the item click the "Get This" button. You will be prompted to log in with your library name and password before the Library-to-Library Delivery form appears. Complete the form and click on the "Submit" button.

You may also borrow books and photocopies of articles not held by campus libraries via a service called Interlibrary Loan. Submit a loan request via the web at: http://lib.umich.edu/ill. The 7FAST service saves you time by locating journal articles you need which are available in any of the campus libraries and delivering photocopies to your departmental mailbox. You may also download your requested articles from a secure library web site. These services is currently available free of charge to registered graduate students and proxies.

 

Photocopying

There are 2 photocopiers near the Periodicals Collection (see map), which use a debit card to make copies. There is a photocopy debit card dispensing machine nearby, which accepts $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills. For $1, you receive a card with $.50 of value. With this card, photocopies cost $.10 per page. U-M faculty and staff wishing to purchase or re-encode a photocopy debit card that is charged to a U-M account may do so at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library circulation desk, 734/764-0404. Please note: These cards will not work at the Kresge Business Library or the Law Library. Malfunctioning cards may be taken to the Graduate Library Circulation Desk for re-encoding or replacement. Monetary refunds for unused value on cards are not available. However, refunds for illegible copies due to copier malfunction are available in Circulation Services (Room 104, Graduate Library) for amounts up to $1.

 

Reference Service & Instruction

Social Work Library staff provide research assistance to all members of the university community performing research in the field of social work. Library staff can assist you using the collections, in searching the catalog (Mirlyn) or other electronic resources, or in locating information on the Internet. Reference service hours vary from term to term and during intersessions, but are posted on the library's web site.  Students are encouraged to submit reference questions  via e-mail at social.work.library@umich.edu. Individual consultation appointments are available for in-depth research and individualized instruction. Librarians meet with SSW classes to provide instruction on using library resources. All instructional web pages and research tips for SSW class assignments are available on the library web site.

Other Information

Artwork

The School of Social Work has a commitment to enhancing the school environment with pieces of contemporary art. The Social Work Library is in the enviable position to display a portion of the School's art collection. "The Real Blue," a work by renowned American artist Sam Gilliam, is a 4-piece sculpture of polychrome birch panels. The pieces are mounted on the walls above the library floor, making the artwork viewable to the basement and first floors. "Vox Populi," created by U-M School of Art faculty member Mark Pomilio, is mounted in the stairway leading to the basement level, outside the library entrance. This work was composed with aquacryl and charcoal on canvas panels.

 

Cell Phones

In order to provide a research environment, students should conduct cell phone conversations outside the library (e.g. lobby areas), and should turn off pagers and cell phone ringers while in the library. Please be considerate of your fellow students' and researchers' needs for quiet study areas.

 

Exhibits

The library makes exhibit space available to School of Social Work individuals and groups. For more information, consult the Social Work Library's Exhibits Information and Policy.  [See Exhibits in the Social Work Library for digital images of selected previous exhibits.]

 

Food/Drink

In concurrence with the policy of consumption of food and beverage in the Hatcher Graduate Library and other libraries on campus, the Social Work Library strictly forbids food, uncovered and alcoholic beverages, and tobacco in the facility. Food, uncovered beverages, and tobacco are prohibited in the library facility in an attempt to maintain the usable condition of library materials and computing equipment, and to improve the study and research environment. Individuals attempting to enter the library with these prohibited items will be requested to put them away in the individual's bag, discard them outside the library, or to leave the library. This policy applies to the computer classroom (B696) and to the group study rooms (B772 and B792) as well.

 

History of the Library

The Social Work Library has a unique history, being closely tied with the Hatcher Graduate Library and the School of Social Work. A brief history of the library, including a chronology of library services and social work, and a library image album document the past and present of this unit. A history of the Hatcher Graduate Library is available at http://www.lib.umich.edu/grad/showcase/.

 

Library Privacy Policy

The Social Work Library adheres to the University Library policy on patron privacy, in essence, the privacy of all users shall be respected in compliance with federal and state laws and professional standards. The Library will not reveal the identities of individual users or reveal what information sources or services they consult. This policy applies to all resources regardless of their format or means of delivery as well as to all services offered by the Library. Details about the privacy policy can be found at: http://www.lib.umich.edu/policies/privacy.html.

 

Resources for Social Work Professionals

Off-campus access library resources by current U-M students is possible. See Off-Campus Access to Library Resources for details. Please note that alumni do not have off-campus access to electronic library resources. Information on services and resources available to alumni and visitors is gathered on the guide entitled Free Resources for Social Work Professionals.

 

Space Use Guidelines

The library, including the group study rooms, is subject to guidelines and policies delineating appropriate use. The Space Use Policy/Guidelines, approved by the School of Social Work Facilities Committee, highlights how the various rooms in the library are to be used and who to contact.

 

Student Jobs

The library is always looking for friendly student assistants to help library staff provide the myriad of services to the School of Social Work. Working at the lively Service Desk, customer-oriented student assistants check out books and reserve items, handle library-to-library delivery requests, answer phones, search databases, assist researchers with using Mirlyn, and various databases and software applications, shelve library materials, and perform miscellaneous technical processing duties. Beginning positions start out at $7.40 per hour, with regular pay increases for every 300 hours worked. Interested students should contact the Library at social.work.library@umich.edu or at (734) 764-5169